posted by Lewi on November 11, 2010
Just as Alice chased the White Rabbit as he led her to new and great things in Wonderland, I have been doing the exact same with The Black Rabbits, absorbing every atom of their indie-meets-grunge sound as if I’ve been late all of my life doing so. Their five track, self-titled EP, released earlier this year, does not disappoint if you’re looking for something to take your mind off of the fastly approaching Winter weather.
The band, who formed in Orlando, FL but are now based in Asheville, NC, has a wide range of musical influences across the board, from The Doors to Nirvana to The Pixies, three bands that I am also a fan of. This broad variation is clear in their music. Lead vocalist Jetson Black’s vocals nicely accompany his moody guitar strumming, along with the sub-vocals of Kim Drake, who also contributes by playing the organ and keyboard. You’d perhaps think this a potentially strange variety of instruments to throw onto one EP, but they work well together from the word “go”. Bass player (and appropriately named) Natalie Smallish definitely holds the Nirvana and other such grunge bands influence with her strong rhythms, and the drumming from Skyler Black, whilst prominent as with a majority of indie bands, is never too much and helps set the tone for the almost autobiographical lyrics shared between Jetson and the girls.
“Hypno Switch” was the song that stood out on the EP for me and the one that is available for you to enjoy below. The repetition of the backing vocals go perfectly with Black’s main lyrics, almost undermining what he is saying, like the two are having an argument. Give the video a watch too if you can, which shows the band painting and graffiti-ing the walls, almost allowing the music to come to life if you will. Their indie rock ‘n’ roll beats are short and catchy, and combined with their almost poetic lyrics, have a “feel good” vibe to them. The Black Rabbits have been receiving a lot of positive attention throughout 2010, and with a song and EP of this quality, it’s not hard to see why.
The Black Rabbits – Hypno Switch (Downloaded 393 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Catchy • Driven • Female vocal • Male vocal
(7 votes)
Loading ...posted by Lewi on October 25, 2010
If any band has managed to grab my attention, but from more than one angle, and especially recently – it’s The Winchell Riots. Hailing from my hometown and the beautiful city of Oxford, The Winchell Riots are the Phoenix from the ashes of former group Fell City Girl, hence with a new member or two. The art that TWR have mastered is keeping that strong indie vibe that their former group possessed, but moving more of the instrumental side along to an almost ambient area, and could perhaps in this aspect be compared to Sigur Ros, Massive Attack and Bjork – and quite frankly, TWR deserve these comparisons.
In my opinion, the delicateness of the instruments played in certain areas, never sounds out of place with lead singer Phil McMinn’s vocals, who can soar angelically through an impressive scale of notes. This feat is demonstrated on their track “Glasgow Spaceflight”, taken from their EP The Red Square. The ambient references are strong, particularly at the beginning of this song, and then continue to play comfortably in the background, holding the hand of the other instruments and complimenting all five minutes and 13 seconds of the track perfectly. “Kandahar Road” walks along a similar path, with a soaring guitar solo to meet McMinn’s impressive vocals. I also particularly liked the content of the lyrics, and whilst getting absorbed with the majesty that The Winchell Riots had written, I was never distracted from anything else this track was offering me.
You can purchase The Winchell Riots’ The Red Square EP for a pocket money price from the iTunes store. For more information and more music from this band, check out their Myspace page and official site below.
The Winchell Riots – Glasgow Spaceflight (Downloaded 397 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Ambient • Big Sound • Male vocal
(16 votes) Loading ...posted by Lewi on September 8, 2010
{Editor’s Note: Today we welcome Lewi to the Indieball staff. You can read more about him on Tumblr}
First and foremost, what I like about the Laylanas – apart from their unique image and sound, is that they “shop local”. The cover of their album “Universal” is a montage of headshots of the band’s friends (including yours truly). They play gigs in pubs and bars that supported them when they were first starting out and lead singer Lana Lay – as she prefers to be known, eagerly welcomes feedback from fans on the band’s Facebook page. This longing to give back to those who gave to them and to interact with their fans already set The Laylanas apart from many other emerging indie bands in the UK. The band all certainly looks like typical bohemian musicians. But this History of Art student & Edie Sedgwick lookalike plays and performs music with her Brighton (UK) based band that speaks volumes and shows that a book should not be judged by its cover.
Their music crosses from indie-pop into folk and maybe even bordering on country, with Lana’s silky-smooth voice transcending through these genres and more to glue the album together. Her vocals are powerful and mature and compliment the various paced songs perfectly, ranging from the slower ‘Breathe’ and ‘Gallows’ to the up-tempo ‘Ashen’ and ‘La De Da’, both really working together to provide the listener with a refreshing experience.
‘La De Da’ is the personal highlight of the album for me. The upbeat rhythm and Lana’s energetic but steady-paced vocals conjure up memories of happy Summers once passed, and, although arguably similar to artists such as Laura Marling and Pixie Lott, Lana and The Laylanas is my sunshine on a rainy day.
The Laylanas – La De Da (Downloaded 403 times)
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(14 votes) Loading ...Beautifully executed Lewi! Will look forward to reading more of your reviews!
July 1st, 2011 at 11:53 am
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